California parents sue LA school district over trans policy after son commits suicide

According to the lawsuit filed in federal court in California, Dylan Parke told staff at Palisades Charter High School in 2019-2020 that he wanted to go by she/her pronouns and be referred to as “Aria” as he socially transitioned. Parke’s parents, Kathleen Mulligan and Andrew Parke, said their son had been diagnosed with depression and “appeared easily influenced and preoccupied with how others perceived him.”

The lawsuit alleges that school staff kept details about his transgender identity secret from his parents. In 2020, Mulligan sent an email acknowledging that her son was “transitioning socially,” noting that she was “not transphobic,” but she had concerns, including that her son may be autistic and “easily influenced.” She said it was “her belief that Dylan was particularly vulnerable to social contagion related to gender identity, as his ‘trans identity’ appeared to provide him with a sense of belonging and validation from peers who were being celebrated for similar disclosures.”

“If I thought Dylan was really trans I would have a different mindset but I know my son better than anyone and I know he is struggling and I want what is best for him. He has so much potential and I worry about his mental health,” she wrote.

School officials, however, ignored the mother’s concerns and “further . . . denied them the opportunity to participate in the care of their minor son,” according to the lawsuit. Instead, the school treated the transition “as an absolute directive and affirmed and reinforced it enthusiastically and with praise and support.” They also gave him information on housing for LGBTQ youth, a New York Post report noted.

Parke committed suicide in March 2024 at the age of 19. The family said the school’s handling of the situation left their family destroyed, and the parents “walking on eggshells” as their son was “withdrawn, oppositional, and distrustful.”

“It is every parents’ nightmare,” the parents said. “There are no more birthdays to celebrate, there is an empty seat at the Thanksgiving table, [they] will never see Dylan graduate from college, have a family, or watch him reach his full potential.”

The case comes amid ongoing legal disputes in California over its controversial 2024 law that prevented schools from revealing a student’s gender identity to parents without the student’s permission. The measure was later struck down by a federal judge. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court blocked California from enforcing rules that limited when schools could notify parents about their child identifying as transgender.